Fun Fact: there’s an actual show on DIY called “Renovation Realities” that documents real people’s real-life renovation projects, hiccups and all. 

The past couple of months, while I had every intention of sharing updates on my cross-country one room challenge project, I definitely ended up it what would’ve probably made a great “Renovation Realities” episode — from the contractor turning into a total douche to leaky pipes to ultimately a partially complete renovation! 

How did we get here?!

While most of the heavy lifting was pretty much complete about halfway through participating in the one room challenge, and there was definitely a noticeable difference from whence we came, this was for sure rollercoaster of a renovation and was far from easy — but then again, when are they ever?

The short version of all the mess that transpired is that with both the homeowner and I being in completely different states from the project —I’m in WA, the project is in NY, and the homeowner is in neither lol — the contractor went from being totally on point and professional to unreliable and straight-up shady! 

Tip: make sure you have an airtight contract, that’s written in explicit detail (line items preferred) and keep a digital copy with you at all times to reference. 

So many decisions, that were originally agreed upon, were tossed to the wind because trust was breached and emotions were high, ultimately resulting in an incomplete project. We ultimately ended up exhausting the relationship with said contractor and with the vast majority of the work done, taking a pause to regroup. I will say, despite the turn of events, the work that was done made a significant difference in the space. It’s in the details that things fell short, and as the saying goes… “design is in the details". We needed to know that the additional work would get done correctly and on time so that the space could be truly (and fully) functional.

The homeowner was able to get local recommendations for tradesmen to complete various parts of the job — plumbing, painting, millwork, and other miscellaneous tasks that were neglected. In a few week’s time everything started to shape up and was actually ready to be considered a home!

So what’s left to be done?

When we left off in the kitchen, while the cabinets have been placed, the hardware was never mounted nor were the appliances installed. The Kitchen is now fully installed — appliances and hardware — with even some additional accessories for functionality. It’s not a turnkey kitchen (yet) but it is well on its way! The paint job was also finally completed (the previous contractor skipped over the entire foyer area) and the trim work was also redone since flooring needed to be completed as well.

All of the previous sump pump, water heater leaks, and other plumbing issues that kept surfacing were finally resolved (legit, as I type actually). As you can imagine, for a basement area specifically, this is a huge relief, because you already have to contend with mother nature for potential flooding, The last thing anyone needs is to internal conditions that can cause flooding as well.

For me, the biggest craw in my mood was the storage! Areas that were originally designated for storage — the pantry and a custom closet — were instead undone/closed off because the contractor either went rogue or got lazy. A plan c still needs to be concocted for storage solutions — yay! — but that’s something I will (God willing) be able to better tackle once I am on site. Yep, you read correctly…a trip is coming y’all! Once I’m there, while it may not get done at that moment, I’ll be able to better assess the capabilities of the space and come up with a solution that’ll suit everyone’s needs (and budget) because at this point we’re all just tired!!

But there is some good news…

With all of the electrical and heating done, we were able to get the security system from Simplisafe up & running, and even install new televisions…priorities, am I right? What I am most excited about, however, is that my trip coincides with the bulk of the furniture delivery, so I’ll be able to be way more hands-on with the installation than I was with the renovation.

Yeah, I think that about sums it up... 

While we all would’ve loved to have had the home complete and move-in ready for the holiday season, all isn’t lost. This is still a great way to kick off a new year…a new decade…with a fresh start in a brand new home. Yep, my job is done here, folks…well for now, lol.